Meghan Duggan, the former captain of the U.S. women's national hockey team and an Olympic gold medalist, has been named the new manager of player development for the NHL's New Jersey Devils.
Duggan, 33, retired from pro hockey last October. The Massachusetts native won 11 medals (eight gold, three silver) for Team USA in international play, including one gold and two silver Olympic medals.
With the Devils, her duties will include gathering information about prospects and minor league players, as well as assessing all players through video and in-person scouting. She also will take part in on-ice player development.
'I'm looking forward to getting to work, and adding value in an area that I've committed my entire life to,' Duggan told ESPN. 'But I also hope people see this and realize there's a space for those who haven't traditionally been in these roles -- women, or BIPOC community members; there's a space for that. Times are definitely changing, and I'm excited to be part of it.'
Duggan won't be the only woman working in the Devils' front office. The team already employs one of the league's highest-ranking women in executive director of hockey operations Kate Madigan.
The Duggan hiring follows the Toronto Maple Leafs' recent decision to promote Canadian national team great Hayley Wickenheiser to a senior director of player development role.
Wickenheiser is the highest-ranking woman in an NHL team's hockey operations department, but there are several notable others: Los Angeles Kings scout Blake Bolden, Chicago Blackhawks director of hockey administration Meghan Hunter, and Seattle Kraken scout Cammi Granato, another Olympic gold medalist with Team USA.
The NHL announced plans in September to 'mandate' a more 'welcoming and inclusive' atmosphere within the sport. The league went a step further by establishing a Player Inclusion Committee chaired by Devils defenseman PK Subban and former NHL star-turned-NBC analyst Anson Carter.
'We are incredibly excited to announce that Meghan has joined our Player Development Department,' said Tom Fitzgerald, the Devils executive vice president and general manager, on Wednesday.
'As our group has evolved over the past few years to include as much about off-ice as on-ice for development, we believe Meghan will be perfect for this position. Her successful track record as a teammate, leader, captain and driver of initiatives will be resources to all players in our organization. We look forward to her utilizing her perspective of the game, attention to detail and creative thinking to help our players reach their potential.'
Duggan played collegiately at Wisconsin from 2006-11 and won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation's top player as a senior. She was named to the USA Hockey board of directors in 2014 and to USA Hockey's Women's Advisory Committee in 2017.
More recently, Duggan has been weighing her options in the professional ranks.
'I did a lot of thinking on my own of what's important to me as I navigated my next step,' Duggan told ESPN.
'Not just with role, but also culture and experience and room for development and growth. This opportunity that presented itself with the Devils is exactly all of that. I'm thrilled to be joining a group that, from what I'm learning, puts an incredible emphasis on culture, mindset and growth mindset. It feels right in my gut.'
